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Wasim cursed those behind Delhi blast, claim parents
BJP demands CBI probe into NC worker’s death
Officials busy celebrating Wildlife Week, sick animals not treated
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Tunnel closed for repairs, commuters inconvenienced
Education must for women empowerment: Usha Vohra
ADB to fund Rs 350 crore flyover projects in state
National group song competition held
Air force Day celebrated
PDP conspiring to unseat Omar: NC
Lecture on medicinal plants
Hizbul ultra shot dead in Doda
PHE employees hold protests
Woman jumps into Tawi, rescued
Shells recovered from ITBP jawan’s house
Union Secretaries in Srinagar
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Wasim cursed those behind Delhi blast, claim parents
Jammu, October 8 Shamima Begum, Wasim’s mother, claimed that when Wasim saw the news about the blast on television he remarked, “Bomb blasts are highly deplorable inhuman acts and those who cause deaths to people by such heinous ways cannot be pardoned.” Shamima, along with her husband, Riaz Malik, reached here last evening after “handing over” their elder son Wasim to a team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi. “We have done our duty towards the nation. But spare a thought for us. Militants kidnapped our younger son last year. His whereabouts are still not known. And we have ourselves handed over our elder son to the police for questioning,” they said while talking to The Tribune at their house at Bathindi here. Wasim had reached his house for Eid in the last week of August. He was scheduled to return to Bangladesh on September 9. “We were watching TV when a news channel reported about the blast outside the Delhi High Court. Wasim cursed those behind the blast. Ironically, we are in Jammu to escape threats, attacks of militants, and our sons are being accused of being militants,” Shamima complained. Riaz showed documents that the NIA had summoned Wasim for questioning. “My son readily agreed to return to New Delhi when we called him up. He said there was nothing to worry as he was not a criminal.” Riaz showed a letter of the NIA signed by ASP Ajeet Singh. Wasim’s parents said they were shocked at the news reports that their missing son, Junaid, was a Hizbul Mujahideen commander and had planted the bomb in New Delhi. “He is merely 16 years old. We don’t believe the reports. If our son is a militant, why are we still getting threats from the militants,” asks Riaz. Both try their best to maintain composure, but their emotions often run high when asked when they last saw Junaid or Wasim. “Junaid had gone missing from Jammu. He was kidnapped while on the way to a marriage party on the Canal Road. Before leaving the house he had called up his father in Kishtwar to bring rasgullas for him. Why would he do that if he knew he would be going away with militants?” Shamima alleged arrested militant Azhar Ali had hatched a conspiracy to frame Wasim. “Azhar was our tenant in Kishtwar. He wanted to buy our house. We refused to sell him the house but he started pressuring us. At this we told him to leave. A fortnight later, he kidnapped Junaid. He is behind bars for the crime but the police has failed to recover Junaid.” The family claims it has full faith in the NIA. “They (NIA) have assured us that our son will be back with us if he is innocent,” the crestfallen parents said.
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BJP demands CBI probe into NC worker’s death
Jammu, October 8 Though state BJP president Shamsher Singh Manhas demanded the handing over of the case to the CBI, he refused to support the demand for Omar’s resignation. “There is no reason to demand Omar’s resignation unless his involvement in the case was established,” Manhas said when asked by mediapersons about the stand of the BJP on the issue here today. “The NC and the PDP are the two sides of the same coin. So, I don’t think that the PDP will be a better choice than the NC,” Manhas said while explaining why the BJP was not for Omar’s resignation. Interestingly, BJP state general secretary Sat Sharma and another senior leader Vivodh Gupta, while addressing a public meeting at RS Pura yesterday, had demanded that Omar be sacked to ensure a free and fair probe into Yousuf’s death. Both leaders had said a fair inquiry into the case was not possible as along as Omar remained the Chief Minister. Manhas said, “How can an impartial inquiry be expected when Omar is himself heading the Home Department, under which the Crime Branch of the police directly functions?” But he refused to demand Omar’s resignation. “Omar’s resignation is not going to solve the problem,” he observed and demanded that the government should handover the case to CBI for an impartial inquiry. “Yousuf’s death under mysterious circumstances has raised many serious questions, which need to be looked into to get the real picture,” he said. “The NC-Congress coalition has played a mischief with the people by ordering an investigation by the Crime Branch,” he added. Manhas said the case had exposed the real face of the Omar-led government. “The incident has proved that the government is not only patronising corruption but is also itself involved in corrupt practices,” he said, adding Yosuf was killed as he could have exposed the involvement of the NC in many scandals. While senior BJP leaders are not supporting the demand for the Chief Minister’s resignation, a faction in the party is of the opinion that Omar should go for a free and fair probe into the case.
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Officials busy celebrating Wildlife Week, sick animals not treated
Jammu, October 8 The visitors were not attended to as the department officials had been busy organising a cultural programme for the closing ceremony this morning. Vicky Singh, a florist from Sarwal market, alleged that he took his parrot to the Wildlife Dispensary, where an official told him to go to some other hospital in the city. “My Mithu (parrot) has not been able to fly since last evening. When I brought it here the official at the dispensary told me to go to some other government hospital,” alleged Vicky. He added, “The department asks people to save the wildlife, but at the same time its staff don’t even care to attend to the injured animals and birds.” Vicky said, “Mithu is living with us for the past one and a half year, but his sudden illness worries me. I requested the official at the dispensary twice to call the doctor, but to no avail.” Abdul Wahid, in-charge of Deer Park, who was at the dispensary, said, “This man came here with a parrot and told me about its illness. When the doctor is not there, how can the bird be treated?” He added, “I asked him to go to some other hospital in the city as the Wildlife Week celebrations were going on here.” Meanwhile, the incident took place when students from various schools of the city were presenting colourful programmes there. They were dressed up as animals and trees. All senior officials of the department, including Upender Pachnanda, Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife), witnessed the celebrations at the auditorium.
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Tunnel closed for repairs, commuters inconvenienced
Jammu, October 8 Long queues of vehicles were seen on the highway, as the tunnel meant for traffic from Srinagar to
Jammu was closed in the wee hours today. Though NHAI officials allowed traffic to move through another tunnel, commuters were inconvenienced. A huge traffic jam increased the journey from Jammu to Srinagar by almost two hours, which normally takes eight hours. “After crossing Nagrota there was a traffic jam, as vehicles were stranded. Though the authorities were allowing the vehicles to move through another tunnel by blocking traffic from the other side after repeated intervals, the huge rush of vehicles made the situation worse,” said Dharam Parkash, a resident of Jammu, who was travelling to Srinagar. The highway is the only surface link between the Valley and the rest of the country. The pilgrims, who come from other states to pay obeisance at the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine have to pass through this tunnel to reach Katra. MK Jain, in-charge of the NHAI, Jammu and Kashmir, said, “The floor of one tunnel was badly damaged during the monsoon recently. So, we closed it for vehicular movement this morning to construct a concrete floor. It won’t get damaged easily now.” Jain added, “The entire exercise will take nearly 24 hours and after that it will be thrown open to traffic. The highway is open as the second
tunnel is being used for two-way traffic.” |
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Education must for women empowerment: Usha Vohra
Srinagar, October 8 She was addressing a gathering after giving away cheques of small loans to women entrepreneurs at a function organised by Kashmir Women Credit Cooperative Ltd (KWCCL) on the occasion of its fifth annual general body meeting here today. Usha said an educated woman played a vital role in the overall development of her family and, consequently, in the development of society at large. She added an educated mother was better
placed to take care of her family and the education of her children, which, in turn, contributed towards the harmonious growth
of society. She said besides having unparallelled natural beauty, the women of Jammu and Kashmir were highly talented. She added if provided with an enabling environment, they could play a major role and contribute in a big way towards the development and prosperity of the state. Earlier, in her welcome address, Nighat Shafi, chairperson of the KWCCL, dwelt on the aims, objectives and the present activities of the organisation and its future action plans. She said its total membership had gone up to 1,500, while 200 members had been provided small loans till date.
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ADB to fund Rs 350 crore flyover projects in state
Srinagar, October 8 A joint team of the Union Department of Economic Affairs and the ADB agreed in principal to fund the twin flyover projects at a meeting with Chief Minister Omar Abdullah here today, an official spokesman said. The state Economic Reconstruction Agency (ERA) has got vetted the structural designs of these flyovers, one at Jehangir Chowk in Srinagar and the other at Bikram Chowk in Jammu, by the IIT, Roorkee. The traffic mobility study in relation to the construction of these projects has been conducted by RITES. The Chief Minister had taken up the issue of the inclusion of these projects under the ADB funding with Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Pranab had sent a team to study the proposal of the state government. The team had visited the state and held discussions with the officials of the ERA and other departments concerned. It expressed satisfaction with the preparedness of the ERA to launch these projects and the rehabilitation model for the affected people. The team led by Union Joint Secretary Venu Rajamony and comprising ADB country Director Hun Kim, Senior Urban Specialist Atsushi Kaneko and other members called on the Chief Minister this morning. The team briefed the Chief Minister about their discussions with the Chief Secretary, the CEO of the ERA and other senior secretaries regarding the projects, and expressed its agreement in principal to include these projects in the loan-II of the ADB. Underlining the need for flyovers in Srinagar and Jammu cities, to help decongest traffic, the Chief Minister stressed the early launch of the projects. He said the preliminary work of shifting of structures and the rehabilitation of the affected people should be fast-tracked. |
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National group song competition held
Jammu, October 8 Arun Sharma, state general secretary of the Bharat Vikas Parishad, said all the district level winners were invited to the event. “The top three teams will now compete in the national group song competition to be held in Bangalore and Moradabad,” Sharma added. All the participants were dressed in beautiful attires and were appreciated by guests and students of the college. Those present on the occasion included Prof Nalini Kohli, Principal of the college, Lalit Mahajan, additional secretary general, Bharat Vikas Parishad, and Prof Suresh Gupta.
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Air force Day celebrated
Jammu, October 8 Air Commodore Nitin Sathe said the event was organised to encourage the youth to join the IAF to serve the nation. He said the Air Force Station, Jammu, had a rich history and heritage. “It is one of the oldest air bases of the IAF the first wing of which was formed here on March 10, 1948. The wing initially operated from Srinagar in the summer and from Jammu in the winter,” he said. He added, “On January 25, 1963, Wing No. 23 was formed here under Wing Commander J Andrews.” Sathe said helicopters were the mainstay of the Jammu station. “Initially Mi-4s, then Chetaks and now Mi-17s operate in the most challenging environment in the state. The IAF ensures round-the-year air route maintenance of the Siachen Glacier. Our role at the Siachen Glacier has rightfully earned us the soubriquet of the Guardians of the Glacier.” “The Air force station, Jammu, has always been in the thick of the battle. It was in the forefronts during the Kargil war and provided logistic support and air casualty evacuation to troops on the front. It continues to perform the role of aiding the frontline troops even today,” he said. A cycling expedition, led by the Air Commodore, was also organised to make the residents of Jammu aware about the force. Tributes were also paid to martyrs of the IAF at the function.
— TNS |
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PDP conspiring to unseat Omar: NC
Srinagar, October 8 The Governor had a few days ago sought a report from the government on Yousuf’s death. “The Chief Minister briefed the Governor about various important matters,” an official spokesman here said. Meanwhile, spokesman for the NC Mustafa Kamaal has said PDP president Mehbooba Mufti’s outburst against the Central government yesterday was a manifestation of her frustration and hunger for power. He said Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his entire brigade had always indulged in manipulative politics to grab power. Kamaal said the “entire drama” enacted by the PDP was to unseat the Omar-led coalition government. It raked up the controversy to put pressure on the Central government. He added the moment the PDP realised that the Centre understood its machinations and was paying no heed to the unsubstantiated, baseless, motivated and malicious propaganda, it started speaking against the Centre. “The PDP leadership has always indulged in doublespeak and has sided with the Central government when in power or in quest to grab power and has always been critical of Delhi when out of power,” Kamaal said. He claimed that the PDP had offered an unconditional support to the Congress after the 2008 Assembly elections with the sole motive of keeping the NC out of power. He said the PDP had played its role to destabilise the Azad-led government in 2008.
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Lecture on medicinal plants
Jammu, October 8 Earlier, the department of physics and electronics of the college organised a guest lecture yesterday. Dr Shashi Koul was the chief guest while Prof Ravinder Tikoo, head of the electronics department, Government Degree College, Udhampur, was the resource person on the occasion. Prof Poonam Kamotra, convener of the Science Club, Government College for Women, Parade, and Prof Ravinder Tikoo spoke on “Operational Amplifier and its Applications”. |
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Hizbul ultra shot dead in Doda
Jammu, October 8 The slain militant has been identified as Azad Hussain
Wani, a resident of Doda, who has been active in the area since 1998. The security forces said Wani was the lone surviving militant of the Hizbul Mujahideen and with his killing the terror group had been wiped out from Doda district. The police said acting on specific information about Wani’s presence in the area, the security forces launched a operation to track him down early this morning. “The security forces cordoned off the area. They warned the hiding militant to surrender, but he refused. This resulted in a gunfight,” the police
said. Wani was involved in the killing of many civilians, extortions and the planting of landmines. A search operation was still on in the area.
— TNS
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PHE employees hold protests
Jammu, October 8 A large number of PHE employees gathered outside the office of Chief Engineer on the BC Road in support of their demands. They were demanding an increase in wages and ex-gratia payment. “Besides, we want the regularisation of the services of all the employees who have completed seven years in the department,” said KC Dubey, spokesperson for the front. All leaders of the front condemned the government for adopting delaying tactics towards the issues of the employees. |
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Woman jumps into Tawi, rescued
Jammu, October 8 Tasleem suffered minor injuries and was admitted to the Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu. A case has been registered at Gujjar Nagar police station.
— TNS
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Shells recovered from ITBP jawan’s house
Jammu, October 8 The police and a bomb disposal squad rushed to the house and took the shells into their possession. The 82 mm shells were rusted, the police said. The shells were recovered from the house of Bachchan Lal, a jawan of the 36th Battalion of the ITBP. Bachchan is at present posted at Lohagard in Uttarakhand. The police has registered a case against him and has taken up the matter with the ITBP authorities.
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Union Secretaries in Srinagar
Srinagar, October 8 However, the visit of the Cabinet Secretary, AK Seth, was postponed due to his pressing engagements, an official spokesman said. |
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The parents of Wasim Akhtar Malik, an MBBS student who was arrested in the Delhi High Court blast case, today claimed that their son had cursed those who triggered the blast. Wasim is a final year student of MBBS at RR Medical College at Sylhit in Bangladesh.
The Bharat Vikas Parishad organised a national group song competition in Hindi and Sanskrit at Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar here, today.
Students from 17 schools from across the state participated in the event. Dilbagh Singh,
IGP, Jammu zone, was the chief guest, while Rakesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Income Tax, Jammu, was the special guest on the occasion.
